Children of Scarabaeus

This book really didn't do a whole lot for me and it was a struggle to get through. The book seemed very much a follow on from the first novel but I struggle to see how anyone could engage with this book if they hadn't read the first one. It really didn't seem like a self contained novel.

I remember struggling initially with Song of Scarabaeus but it won me over in the end but no such luck with this. Essentially Edie and Finn escaped from the Crib at the end of 'Song' but end up right back in the clutches of the Crib straight from the off in this one.

The essential point of this book is that the Crib are using children from Edie's homeworld to engage with the biocyph of planets and they are deprived of a 'real' childhood. The first book had some interesting ideas and concepts yet sadly none of this is really explored further in the follow up.

Edie and Finn also end up back on Scarabaeus which just felt like retreading old ground. Edie and Finn seem to lurch from scrape to scrape without it ever really seeming like they are in any trouble. Things just seem to come really easily for them. I just didn't really feel any affinity to them.